Sunday, May 05, 2013

It's been 10 years since the release of the hotly anticipated sequel to THE MATRIX. THE MATRIX RELOADED, while not as universally loved, still offered some unforgettable, cinematic moments. Don Davis and Juno Reactor collaborated on Reloaded to provide us with a couple of set-piece tracks that remain in the top-tier of the category. Join us as we celebrate #TheMay6th, refill our red-pill-prescription and reload The Matrix.

Our extension feature includes: full reviews of all The Matrix feature film soundtracks, The Animatrix, and two video game scores: Enter the Matrix (Erik Lundborg), The Path of Neo (Tobias Enhus). We also feature interviews with composers, Don Davis and Erik Lundborg.

RETURN OF THE MATRIX

by Christopher Coleman

(Originally Posted in 2007. Updated: May 2013)

In 1999, the movie business was in dire need of a revolution. It just didn't know it yet and neither did the movie-going-public. The Wachowski's upstart production of THE MATRIX shook up an industry that had all but given up on creativity. The biggest cultural-phenomenon started by a single film since 1977's STAR WARS, THE MATRIX not only introduced a new vocabulary to many but helped propel the perception of the computer-geek from zero to "the one.". THE MATRIX was intelligent and visually engaging at the same time...two things that seemed to have become mutually exclusive in the world of film. Interweaving the religious and the philosophical, Japanese anime, and the Chinese, kung fu genre, THE MATRIX was a blend that few had even dared dream about, let alone follow that dream through to a feature film. THE MATRIX could be considered the first cyber-punk film to move into the mainstream. It went on to influence a number of films and television shows and commercials, which sought to capitalize on some of the groundbreaking effects and growing interest in cyberspace. Not to be lost amidst of the visual effects and philosophical messages was this film's innovative blend of electronica and orchestral score. The music of The Matrix went to on influence the world of film music almost as much as the film had influenced it's world.